How to get max (or near max) cap room next season

[freshinthehouse]

I've pretty much given up on this team doing anything this year, but I'm also not ready to pull the plug on building a team around the J's.  So I'd like to see the Celtics clear out the roster so they can make a run at Bradley Beal next year.  Here's my ideas on how to do iiiiiit.

HYPOTHETICAL TRADE #1

Boston gives:  J-Rich, Romeo Langford

Cleveland gives:  Ricky Rubio, 2023 1st round pick (medium protection)

Cleveland gets a guy that can help them in the playoffs this year, and maybe they can make something out of Romeo.  Boston clears money and gets a future pick

HYPOTHETICAL TRADE #2

Boston Gives:  Marcus Smart, Aaron Nesmith

Sacto Gives:  Tristan Thompson, Davion Mitchell

Sacto gets a gritty vet with playoff experience, as well as a potential wing gunner in Nesmith.  Boston gets out of Smart's deal, and gets a future a PG in Mitchell. 

HYPOTHETICAL TRADE #3

Boston gets:  Serge Ebaka, Goran Dragic, 2023 LAC 1st (heavily protected) 2024 Raptors 2nd rounder

Toronto gets:  Eric Bledsoe

LAC gets: Al Horford, Dennis Schroeder


Boston gets out of Al's deal, and picks up an admittedly weak 1st rounder.  Toronto moves an injured Goran for Bledsoe, and just gives up a 2nd rounder.  LAC gets a talent boost to make a push for chip this year. 

So the C's would go into next year with:

Jaylen
Jayson
RWIII
G-Will
Peyton
Mitchell
their own 1st round pick

and if my public school math is on point, i think the C's would have nearly 40mill in salary cap room.  Enough room to get a max level guy, plus someone else in the 6-7 mill range. 

[pokeKingCurtis]

I thought I saw on Reddit if some disgruntled star wanted to leave, the Celtics could actually package Smart and a bunch of other things to match max salary. But maybe I'm mistaken.

[pearljammer10]

And if no max free agents come to Boston we’re screwed with no depth and overpaying mid range guys to play here.

They extended a guy like a Richardson so couple with Smart they can get to matching a max salary for a sign and trade.

[Roy H.]

And if no max free agents come to Boston we’re screwed with no depth and overpaying mid range guys to play here.

They extended a guy like a Richardson so couple with Smart they can get to matching a max salary for a sign and trade.

What if a team doesn’t want to take back an overpaid Smart for the next four years?

[Celtics2021]

And if no max free agents come to Boston we’re screwed with no depth and overpaying mid range guys to play here.

They extended a guy like a Richardson so couple with Smart they can get to matching a max salary for a sign and trade.

What if a team doesn’t want to take back an overpaid Smart for the next four years?

Then you’re not getting to max via a sign-and-trade or cap clearing move, so it’s moot.  That said, I know you hate Smart, but it’d be very surprising if ZERO teams were interested.  If the team losing the free agent really had no interest, someone would step in to get him.  He’s not negative value around the league.  His salary ranking  is 80th, and will be lower when a few free agents sign.  That’s not crazy money for a multi-time all-defense player in his late 20s.  Maybe not a bargain, but not exorbitant.

[freshinthehouse]

And if no max free agents come to Boston we’re screwed with no depth and overpaying mid range guys to play here.

They extended a guy like a Richardson so couple with Smart they can get to matching a max salary for a sign and trade.

What if a team doesn’t want to take back an overpaid Smart for the next four years?

Then you’re not getting to max via a sign-and-trade or cap clearing move, so it’s moot.

A team that's about to lose it's biggest star doesn't need a guy like Smart.  Odds are they're gonna be going into a total rebuild.  But a team looking to take a step forward may go for a player like Smart.  That's why i think it's best to have a ton of cap room.  It removes the risk of not being able to do a sign n trade.

[Roy H.]

And if no max free agents come to Boston we’re screwed with no depth and overpaying mid range guys to play here.

They extended a guy like a Richardson so couple with Smart they can get to matching a max salary for a sign and trade.

What if a team doesn’t want to take back an overpaid Smart for the next four years?

Then you’re not getting to max via a sign-and-trade or cap clearing move, so it’s moot.  That said, I know you hate Smart, but it’d be very surprising if ZERO teams were interested.  If the team losing the free agent really had no interest, someone would step in to get him.  He’s not negative value around the league.  His salary ranking  is 80th, and will be lower when a few free agents sign.  That’s not crazy money for a multi-time all-defense player in his late 20s.  Maybe not a bargain, but not exorbitant.

I think it’s crazy money.  Did Tony Allen ever make more than the MLE?  That’s about the salary that Marcus deserves, I think.

[freshinthehouse]

And if no max free agents come to Boston we’re screwed with no depth and overpaying mid range guys to play here.

We're already screwed.  We're 23-24.  That's what this supporting cast is capable of.  I'd rather dump this ancillary pieces for a chance at bringing in a difference-making free agent, even if it's a long shot.

They extended a guy like a Richardson so couple with Smart they can get to matching a max salary for a sign and trade.

Yeah, if the team wants Smart.  They can just as easily say, 'no thanks.'  especially if they're about to embark on a rebuild. 

[Celtics2021]

And if no max free agents come to Boston we’re screwed with no depth and overpaying mid range guys to play here.

They extended a guy like a Richardson so couple with Smart they can get to matching a max salary for a sign and trade.

What if a team doesn’t want to take back an overpaid Smart for the next four years?

Then you’re not getting to max via a sign-and-trade or cap clearing move, so it’s moot.

A team that's about to lose it's biggest start doesn't need a guy like Smart.  Odds are they're gonna be going into a total rebuild.  But a team looking to take a step forward may go for a player like Smart.  That's why i think it's best to have a ton of cap room.  It removes the risk of not being able to do a sign n trade.

No, my point is that you don’t have to trade Smart to the team losing the player.  Three-way trades are a thing, or that team just makes a separate trade after the fact.  You don’t need to clear all that cap space now or in the summer (I’m not going to bother doing the math to see if it works) when you can send a lot less overall in outgoing salary to acquire a free agent, and you’ll have a more complete roster to boot.

[freshinthehouse]

And if no max free agents come to Boston we’re screwed with no depth and overpaying mid range guys to play here.

They extended a guy like a Richardson so couple with Smart they can get to matching a max salary for a sign and trade.

What if a team doesn’t want to take back an overpaid Smart for the next four years?

Then you’re not getting to max via a sign-and-trade or cap clearing move, so it’s moot.

A team that's about to lose it's biggest start doesn't need a guy like Smart.  Odds are they're gonna be going into a total rebuild.  But a team looking to take a step forward may go for a player like Smart.  That's why i think it's best to have a ton of cap room.  It removes the risk of not being able to do a sign n trade.

No, my point is that you don’t have to trade Smart to the team losing the player.  Three-way trades are a thing, or that team just makes a separate trade after the fact.  You don’t need to clear all that cap space now or in the summer (I’m not going to bother doing the math to see if it works) when you can send a lot less overall in outgoing salary to acquire a free agent, and you’ll have a more complete roster to boot.

This is true, but history shows when a max player moves in the off-season, it's far more often to a team with max cap room.  The other option has far too many variables to make work.  And again, if we had this great supporting cast i'd be open to that risk, but this backing band can be replaced pretty easily. 

[Celtics2021]

And if no max free agents come to Boston we’re screwed with no depth and overpaying mid range guys to play here.

They extended a guy like a Richardson so couple with Smart they can get to matching a max salary for a sign and trade.

What if a team doesn’t want to take back an overpaid Smart for the next four years?

Then you’re not getting to max via a sign-and-trade or cap clearing move, so it’s moot.  That said, I know you hate Smart, but it’d be very surprising if ZERO teams were interested.  If the team losing the free agent really had no interest, someone would step in to get him.  He’s not negative value around the league.  His salary ranking  is 80th, and will be lower when a few free agents sign.  That’s not crazy money for a multi-time all-defense player in his late 20s.  Maybe not a bargain, but not exorbitant.

I think it’s crazy money.  Did Tony Allen ever make more than the MLE?  That’s about the salary that Marcus deserves, I think.

Tony Allen didn’t make his first All-defensive team until he was 29.  Smart has already made two, and is 27.  If Allen was a 2-time all-defense when he hit free agency in his late 20s, he’d have gotten over the MLE.  But he hit free agency at 29, before such success, and again at 32.  I don’t think Smart will exceed the MLE for his next contract, which he’ll sign at 32.

[Celtics2021]

And if no max free agents come to Boston we’re screwed with no depth and overpaying mid range guys to play here.

They extended a guy like a Richardson so couple with Smart they can get to matching a max salary for a sign and trade.

What if a team doesn’t want to take back an overpaid Smart for the next four years?

Then you’re not getting to max via a sign-and-trade or cap clearing move, so it’s moot.

A team that's about to lose it's biggest start doesn't need a guy like Smart.  Odds are they're gonna be going into a total rebuild.  But a team looking to take a step forward may go for a player like Smart.  That's why i think it's best to have a ton of cap room.  It removes the risk of not being able to do a sign n trade.

No, my point is that you don’t have to trade Smart to the team losing the player.  Three-way trades are a thing, or that team just makes a separate trade after the fact.  You don’t need to clear all that cap space now or in the summer (I’m not going to bother doing the math to see if it works) when you can send a lot less overall in outgoing salary to acquire a free agent, and you’ll have a more complete roster to boot.

This is true, but history shows when a max player moves in the off-season, it's far more often to a team with max cap room.  The other option has far too many variables to make work.  And again, if we had this great supporting cast i'd be open to that risk, but this backing band can be replaced pretty easily.

Sure, but all the teams with max cap room next year suck way more than the Celtics, so that’s not likely the case this year.

EDIT: I should add, the team most likely to lose a max free agent is Washington, and they in fact will be interested in getting useful players in return.

[freshinthehouse]

. 

[Rikibellevie]

And if no max free agents come to Boston we’re screwed with no depth and overpaying mid range guys to play here.

They extended a guy like a Richardson so couple with Smart they can get to matching a max salary for a sign and trade.

What if a team doesn’t want to take back an overpaid Smart for the next four years?

Then you’re not getting to max via a sign-and-trade or cap clearing move, so it’s moot.  That said, I know you hate Smart, but it’d be very surprising if ZERO teams were interested.  If the team losing the free agent really had no interest, someone would step in to get him.  He’s not negative value around the league.  His salary ranking  is 80th, and will be lower when a few free agents sign.  That’s not crazy money for a multi-time all-defense player in his late 20s.  Maybe not a bargain, but not exorbitant.

I think it’s crazy money.  Did Tony Allen ever make more than the MLE?  That’s about the salary that Marcus deserves, I think.

Allen was an almost total zero offensive player other than transition BB, where Smart is a bellow average offensive player and an OK playmake. Allen was puting carrer 3 points less, 4 times less assist. Less rebound, less steals... And when you look at PO the comparaison is even not at all sustunable (Marcus elevated his game esp last 3 PO, is almost 50% shooting then on 15 points when Allen totally disapear with 10% in 3 pt shooting and almost o scoring).

Smart is a little overpayed, yes. But many or at least some contending teams want a player who at each time may win you a PO game and instigated average off game with elite defensive skills. Switchabilty (elite for him) is also something very valued by teams. We wouldn't have any difficulty to find a team to take his contract and some win now teams may give a litlle young potential or draft capital.

If you are honnest you can compare more his salary to Draymond's one. The one when he entered his prime.

[Rikibellevie]

I think it was the original objectiv. Signing Josh or Schroeder or resigning Smart was just to try something this year and capitalise their value with future assets.
Until a few times I wanted more than everything to keep Smart and Brown, but for the right price and flex I begin to range in the all in for Beal (much preferably than Harden or of course Sexton) next year team.